Swearwords and Shockwords

I like all types of authors, but especially those that really know how to use the language. What I call "fine writers".


Ursula K. Le Guin is one of those.  I haven't read many of her books, and that was mostly 20 years ago, only because I haven't purchased a new book in such along time and because I live in a back water where the books I like to read are not available in bookstores.


So, today when I discovered this blog post by Le Guin from back in March, I was thrilled


I have to say I have been a prolific user of those shock/swear words, but I also agree with Ursula.  They don't really have the meaning or impact they once had.  I loved her bit about them being used as the glue between other words, because surely that's what the usage has descended to.


What I find delightful these days, when I want to make my words emphatic or shocking is to use a word that starts off sounding like a swear word. I love seeing people blush half way and then realize that what they're hearing isn't what they thought they were hearing. Like "Holy Sugar", or "Shut the Front Door".  It just proves that the shock has more to do with the context of the word usage than the actual word.  You'll understand this if you ever hear a parent reprimand their child for calling a sibling stupid.


However, the use of shock words has become a reflex I'm trying to break. I must also be getting old, because I find myself squirming in my seat, for instance, when a comedian's only punchline is the word fuck. A disturbing lack of imagination, and that is what irks me most about my own reflex.


My grandfather (among others) used to rant about using swear words displayed a shocking lack of vocabulary. After looking up the word vocabulary, I found myself in total agreement and yet totally unable to stop swearing.  If anything, I swore more.  It became another way to separate myself from the adults in my life, as I got older.


To this day, I have a fine appreciation for a well placed cuss.  I think there is still room for swearing at just the right time to drive home your point but, as Le Guin points out, overuse drastically erodes the impact you might have had otherwise.


As the "Elements of Style" gods Strunk and White moaned, "...omit needless words...". I might modify that to include the admonishment "...omit over-used words...".


How do you feel about using swear words or shock words?  This isn't about whether you do or not (I will call you a liar right here in advance, so that we can get it over with...lol) but more about how you use them and whether or not you agree with Ursula and me about use and over use. Do they still have a place in your heart?